Project Schedule Management: Steps and Critical Path Analysis

Effective schedule management defines project timelines through structured activities, sequencing, duration estimation, and critical path analysis.

### Building and Managing Project Schedules
* 📅 The first step in project schedule management is defining project activities, which are represented by verbs and form the basis of the **project timeline**.
* 🏗 Sequencing activities involves establishing a **logical order for tasks**, often depicted in Gantt charts with **arrows indicating task dependencies**.
* ⏳ Determining activity durations can be done through **expert judgment, historical information, analogous estimation, or team-based decisions**.
* 🛡 Contingency reserves, such as **time buffers**, are added to the schedule to accommodate **uncertainties and risks**.
* 🛣 The critical path, the **longest path in the project schedule**, determines the project's **overall duration** and is crucial for **project management**.
* 🔄 Regular monitoring and control of the project schedule are essential to ensure **activities are progressing as planned**.
* 🔍 "The critical path is conceptually defined as the **longest path in the project**; it is the path that has the **greatest duration**."
* 📊 "There are three types of contingency reserve calculations: **percentage-based**, **fixed number of days**, and **risk analysis-based**."

Welcome to Module 4: Schedule Management. In some books, you will find it referred to as schedule management, while in others, it may be described using the concept of time. Essentially, what we aim to do in this module is define the timelines of the project, meaning how long the project will last. Some people practically develop schedules using software tools like Primavera or Microsoft Project, and some are also exploring OpenProject, which is free software for developing different types of schedules.

I wanted to break this down into several steps. The first step in constructing a project schedule is to define the activities and the tasks necessary to carry out my project. For example, to create a prototype, I need to carry out a set of tasks, which, if you analyze each of these rows, only contain verbs. This is because the verbs represent tasks. Tasks that, when executed in an orderly manner, will allow us to complete the project scope—in this case, the prototype.

It's interesting because when I define activities, a new concept arises called milestones. A milestone is simply a significant moment or date within the project schedule. You can include as many milestones as you deem necessary, aiming to achieve better control, monitoring, and tracking of the project. There are mandatory milestones, such as those required in the...

a contract in which my client formally demands that I comply, and there are also optional milestones that I consider necessary to include in my schedule to ensure proper project control. Some people ask how many milestones a schedule should have; the answer depends a lot on the strategy and the level of control. I recommend using milestones in external schedules because, by setting key dates, important moments in our schedule, I can develop the entire timeline in detail throughout the project. 

After step one, where we defined the activities, we need to sequence them. In the concept of sequencing, we establish an order: first, I get up; then, I get out of bed; next, I have breakfast; then, I take a shower; I brush my teeth, and I leave. There is a logical order in this sequencing of activities. You have often seen diagrams like this, where we represent an organizational chart; some may call it a Gantt chart with squares and arrows. It is very simple because we place the activities in the squares. Remember that we defined the activities in step one, and we use arrows to mark the relationships between the activities. Some call it the famous activity node, which simply means the name of the activity. All the activities you see on the slide go inside the square, and I repeat, we use arrows to indicate the predecessors.

Generalmente, en todo el cronograma, el orden lógico es el siguiente: paso 1, definición de actividades; paso 2, marcamos un orden lógico entre las actividades; y paso 3, que es obvio, es determinar la duración, lo que significa cuánto demora cada actividad: cuántas horas, cuántos días, cuántas semanas. Aquí creo que todos, en nuestro día a día, siempre vamos estimando las duraciones de nuestras tareas cotidianas, determinando cada cuánto tiempo y cuánto tiempo demora cada una de las tareas del cronograma. Existen muchas formas de hacer estos cálculos. 

Una es el juicio experto. El juicio experto, en esencia, es preguntarle a alguien más que ya sabe cuánto me demora lanzar un cohete a la luna. De repente, llamo al equipo de la NASA y les pregunto: Ustedes, que son los expertos, ¿cuánto se demoran en lanzar un cohete a la luna? Busco experiencia, que puede ser interna, dentro de mi organización, a alguien que ya tiene experiencia estimando la duración de las actividades, o puede ser un consultor externo o una empresa externa que nos ayude a determinar la duración. 

También está la información por analogía: información de otros proyectos, información histórica. Si yo construyo una casa de playa y me demoro un año, construyo otra casa de playa y me demoré un año, y construyo otra casa

Based on parameters, I don't know if you remember how to use the rule of three. If it takes me one hour to lay a 25-meter cable, the question is: how long will it take me if the cable measures 1,000 meters? A simple rule of three relationship is very much based on performance. 

Something else that is used are decisions made within the team. What does that mean? It means gathering with my project team for brainstorming sessions, exchanging information, and sharing the particular experiences of each consultant or team member. We contribute ideas, calculations, and estimates, deciding as a team and reaching a consensus. 

Let's not forget that every project needs certain cushions or contingencies—some extra days or buffers that allow us to face any kind of uncertainty or any problems that may arise during the project. This means that if I set my project duration to five months, it would be wise to add a few extra days or weeks to address any uncertainties, problems, or risks.

There are three types of contingency reserve calculations: one can be a percentage—5%, 6%, or 7% more than the originally calculated timeline. It can also be a fixed number of days; for instance, my project takes three months, but just in case, I will add five or six extra days, rather than a percentage. Something that is scientifically more demonstrable is through risk analysis, which we will cover in later modules, but in summary, we can also do it through a

Additionally, in the original calculation, we need to determine a fixed amount of additional days or conduct a risk or uncertainty analysis. I repeat, we will see this later, and with that, we can more precisely carry out what we need to finalize the project and face potential risks. Talking about the schedule means discussing the critical path. The critical path is conceptually defined as the longest path in the project; it is the path that has the greatest duration. It is called critical because it lacks flexibility. If any of the activities on the critical path are delayed by one or two hours, the entire project will be affected by an additional two hours. Remember that within the schedule, there can be many paths, but the one with the longest duration is the one that determines the total duration of the project. This is why it is called critical, because this path estimates, confirms, and is what I will include in the contract as the total duration of the project. If it experiences any variation, we will encounter problems. I have taken this graph from software called Microsoft Project, where you can see a set of tasks; some have blue bars, while others have red bars. The red bars determine what is the critical path of the project. This means that under the original concept, if I sum the durations of the activities that are in red (the critical path), it will determine the duration of the project. Finally, and no less importantly, this usually occurs during execution: we need to control, monitor

We are following the steps, and we are going at an appropriate speed. The times originally established in my schedule are being met. In practice, we often bring this up in weekly meetings; there are biweekly or monthly meetings as well. However, it is extremely important to conduct a thorough check of my schedule at previously established intervals. In summary, the module is about discussing the schedule, discussing time, and discussing how long the project will last. We have structured it into several steps that will define the activities, define the order of the activities, define the duration of the activities, and last but not least, always monitor my project schedule. Thank you very much.

Gestión del Cronograma

Dirección de Gestión del Talento Humano-Capacitación

This module focuses on defining project timelines and constructing schedules using tools like Primavera, Microsoft Project, and OpenProject.

The first step involves identifying activities and tasks, with milestones playing a crucial role in tracking progress.

Sequencing the activities logically, often represented in diagrams like Gantt charts, helps establish the order and relationships between tasks.

El cronograma de actividades sigue un orden lógico: definición de actividades, establecimiento de orden y determinación de duración.

La estimación de duraciones se puede hacer a través del juicio experto, buscando la opinión de quienes tienen experiencia en la tarea.

Otra forma es utilizar información por analogía, basándose en la duración de proyectos similares anteriores.

Using the rule of three, if it takes one hour to lay a 25-meter cable, it will take four hours for a 1000-meter cable.

Team decisions and brainstorming sessions are crucial for exchanging ideas and reaching a consensus.

Adding contingency reserves, either as a percentage or a fixed number of days, is essential for addressing uncertainties and potential problems during the project.

Understanding the Critical Path in Project Management

The critical path is the longest path in a project, lacking flexibility, and any delay in its activities affects the entire project's duration.

It is essential for determining the total duration of the project and is highlighted in tools like Microsoft Project.

Monitoring and controlling the critical path during execution is crucial to avoid variations that can lead to project delays.

The project is progressing as planned, with established times being met.

Regular meetings are held to discuss the schedule and project duration.

The process includes defining activities, their order, duration, and ongoing monitoring of the project schedule.